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Her er du: NRK > Undervisning > Språk og reiser > Engelsk | Oppdatert 31.10.2001 19:01 |
| NRK P2 torsdag 18. januar kl. 13.03 Bagpipes - Musical Instrument Or Secret Weapon? Publisert 12.12.2000 16:50 - Oppdatert 17.01.2001 14:53
Sounds of Britainby Richard Burgess Narrator: What has four legs, a stomach full of wind, and lives in Scotland? Give up? Well, if I tell you that one of the four legs is shorter than the others, that the three long ones usually stick up in the air and that it has a rather characteristic mating call... ...then you shouldn’t be in much doubt. I suppose if you were asked what you associate with Scotland, the chances are that the bagpipes would come high on your list, along with kilts, tartan and whisky. Whether it’s the lone piper on Edinburgh Castle or the deafening roar of a Scottish Pipe Band, the sound of the bagpipes has come to be regarded as the sound of Scotland itself. Strange really, because Scotland is far from being the only country to have them. In the Middle Ages the pipes were one of the most common instruments in Europe and Bulgaria, Brittany, Ireland, England and even Sweden are just some of the many countries that still have living bagpipe traditions. But somehow it’s the Great Highland Pipes, to give them their full title, that have achieved celebrity status both at home and abroad. Interest in Scottish piping has long since spread beyond Scotland’s borders. In fact the piper you heard here was an American, Daniel Papuga from California, who grew up among descenders of Scottish emigrants who still keep the tradition alive. I asked him to give me a crash course in the noble art of piping. Richard: OK Daniel, it's my turn to play the pipes. Can you explain first what the bits are. Daniel: You've got a bag here. It's made of leather and it's got a cloth cover on the outside. And you've got a blow-pipe that you put in your mouth and you blow into the instrument. Richard: Right, and I have the bag under my arm, right? Daniel: Under your left arm. And then you've to have what are called the drones. Here, I'll put them over your shoulder... Richard: Those are two long ones there? Danile: And they make one sound. A drone is one sound. And these are an octave apart from each other - a bass drone and a tenor drone. Richard: And this bit hanging down here? Daniel: That's what you play the melody on. That's called the chanter. And it's got a whole bunch of finger holes – one for your thumb and then various holes for your fingers. Richard: So I don't necessarily have to blow and play at the same time? I just blow the bag up, do I...? Daniel: You fill the bag up and then you kind of blow in heavy bursts so you're not blowing all the time and... and wearing yourself out. Richard: I can fill up the bag right...? Daniel: That's right... under your arm. Try blowing. – – And put your hand on the chanter... that's it... Narrator: So what is it about the sound of an inflated sheep’s stomach being squeezed that is so magical? To help me answer this question I enlisted the help of three Scots. Annie Frazer from Glasgow, Angela Latona from Edinburgh and Jim Milne from Dundee. First, here’s Annie: Annie: It goes to the heart, it goes straight for your heart, it this amazing sound and you just get lot of really good feeling out of it. It’s a sound you’ll not get anywhere else, as far as I’m concerned. Richard: Some people think piping is absolutely horrendous to listen to... Annie: People are... well, people are entitled to their opinion. I just think there are a lot of people don’t like a lot of instruments, they don’t like music. The pipes are a bit hard for some people, but for me, and not just as a Scottish woman, I just know a tremendous amount of people that love the pipes, and they’re certainly not Scottish: there’s Norwegians and... I don’t know about the English, whether they like them or not, but anyway I think some of them quite like them... I think they’re a wee bit prejudiced actually. Narrator: Yes, nationalism raises its shaggy head like the monster out of Loch Ness as soon the subject of bagpipes comes up. For there’s no doubt that the stock reaction of many English people when hearing the bagpipes is to put their fingers in their ears. Which, of course, only serves to endear the instrument even more to the Scots. But does this mean that every Scot by definition is a bagpipe fan? Angela isn’t prepared to go all the way on that one: Angela: Well, you know, there’s a lot of things to choose from in this world. I wouldn’t go out and buy a tape, as such, of bagpipe music. However, if bagpipe music is playing in the background then I will feel a certain affinity towards it, not because I’ve gone out and listened to it avidly, but just there’s something deep inside that actually there’s a connection there. Because... well, my folks are Highlanders, so that’s a wee bit different. I’m not a Lowlander, I’m from Highland background, so that gives me a better affinity with the bagpipes. Narrator: Perhaps if we are going to draw a parallel to Norway, it would have to be with the Norwegians’ love of brass bands. They’re also an essential part of the national “feel-good factor”, and no 17th of May would be complete without one – but how many Norwegians actually have brass band music in their cd collection? Another parallel is that the bagpipe, like the brass band, has strong military connections. For while the bagpipes gradually disappeared in Europe to be replaced by more elaborate and, dare we say, quieter instruments, in the Highlands of Scotland they became the favourite instrument of war. To this very day the Great Highland Pipes are also known as the war pipes and some of the very best pipers are to be found in the Scottish regiments of the British Army. There’s something about the sheer volume and power of massed bagpipers that made it ideal for military purposes. It raises the morale of the soldiers whilst at the same time instilling absolute panic in the enemy, as Jim Milne points out: Jim: In the second world war, when the British troops were in North Africa – you know, Rommel and Alamein and all the rest of it – and they say that they played the pipes the whole night to frighten the shit out of the Germans, playing these pipes all night. And that’s how they got them. That’s the story, anyway... And it’s like, you know, you’re getting people... excited.... aye, you’re getting them fired up. It’s like the war cry of the Scottish clans. You know, the MacGregors came in with “MacGregor Lach!” and they’re running down there with their kilts over their shoulders and the bagpipes playing... That’s what the bagpipes are... part of it anyway, for me. Narrator: Nowadays you can expect to hear the bagpipes at any ceremonial occasion in which the British Army takes part, like for example the final British withdrawal from Hong Kong or a royal visit. The instrument has become one of the symbols of the establishment. But that hasn’t always been the case. Far from it. In the 1700s the pipes were seen as such a potent symbol of Scottish rebellion against English rule that they were banned. The tradition was kept alive in secret, which of course served only to increase their importance. Although the ban was eventually lifted, in some Scottish regiments the pipers were offically known as “trumpeters” right up until this century. But while the Scots have always been renowned for their formidable fighting men, for most people in Scotland the pipes have a significance beyond the purely military one. They also have an important role to play in the musical life of the country, as a folk instrument to be listened to and danced to. One day in the year when the pipes really come into their own is the 25th January – Burn’s Night. This is when Scots the world over celebrate the birth of their national poet, Robert Burns. The highlight of the evening is the entrance of the Haggis. Now Haggis is the name of Scotland’s national dish, consisting of the heart, liver and other organs of a sheep, minced, mixed with oatmeal, and highly spiced, then packed into the stomach of the sheep and boiled. Actually, it tastes much better than it sounds... According to traditional protocol, the Haggis should be “piped in”, that is to say carried in behind a Bagpiper in full costume. Before being served it is ceremoniously addressed, in the words of Burn’s famous “Address to a Haggis: Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye worthy of a grace As lang's my arm. And that’s only the first verse... Bagpipes have long since made their entry into Scotland’s rock scene. They have been used with symphony orchestras and even with jazz bands. Scottish nationalism is on a rising tide these days, with the country having recently voted by a large majority to establish its own parliament. You can be sure that, as the Scots seek to define their separate identity in modern Europe, the bagpipes will be upfront for all to see, in new and surprising settings. But for Jim Milne, the old setting is still the best: Jim: You know I never liked to hear the bagpipes played inside. When you get the bagpipes played outside in the country, when you got the mist going over the hills and you hear the pipes going over the loch, that’s something. That gets you right in the heart. After the programme1. What is said in the programme about - the use of bagpipes in other countries than Scotland; - the effect of bagpipes on soldiers; - the use of bagpipes on ceremonial occasions; - bagpipes and Haggis, and - bagpipes and today’s musical scene 2. How do you look upon the comparison between bagpipes in Scotland and brass bands in Norway? 3. What, in your view, is the national instrument of Norway? Describe the instrument to someone who does not know it. 4. What is your favourite instrument? Give reasons for your choice. 5. It says in the programme that to most people Scotland means bagpipes, kilts, tartan and whisky. What else do you associate with Scotland? Vocabularymating call parringsskrik/paringsskrik deafening roar øredøvende brøl/øyredøyvande brøl celebrity status kjendisstatus descender etterkommer/etterkomar crash course førstehjelpskurs, innføringskurs drones sekkepipebass inflated oppblåst squeeze presse, klemme enlist gjøre bruk av/gjere bruk av horrendous fryktelig/frykteleg be entitled to ha rett til wee lite grand prejudiced fordumsfull affinity affinitet, sympati avidly ivrig elaborate innviklet/innvikla sheer ren/rein morale kampmoral the establishment makteliten potent kraftfult renowned berømt formidable avskrekkende/avskrekkande significance betydning minced hakket/hakka recently voted ie referendum in 1997 |
31.10.2001 19:01 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part six 31.10.2001 19:00 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part five 31.10.2001 18:59 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part four 31.10.2001 18:58 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part three 31.10.2001 18:57 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part two 31.10.2001 18:56 SO MUCH TO TELL YOU – part one 31.10.2001 17:58 Urban Indians 31.10.2001 17:51 Powwow on the Reservation 31.10.2001 17:43 Ancestral Voices 28.08.2001 08:12 On the Information Highway |
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